Whidbey Examiner, October 24, 2013

Whidbey Examiner, October 24, 2013

October 24, 2013 edition of the Whidbey Examiner

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Celebrating breast cancer awareness
Thursday, October 24, 2013
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VOL. 19, NO. 12
Questions raised about candidate for port position
By Nathan Whalen Staff Reporter
Comments made by port commission candidate Richard Bowen during a recent forum have led some to question his business background. Bowen, a Coupeville resident, is running against Mike Diamanti for Position No. 3 on the Port of Coupeville. During a recent forum at the Greenbank Farm, Bowen mentioned his experience as a key person in a sustainable development in Helena, Mont., said Tim McDonald, a Coupeville resident. That led McDonald, who starts work in December as executive director for the Port of Coupeville, to research Bowen’s past. McDonald said he discovered that Bowen was the principal of Aspen Trails Ranch, LLC, a controversial residential development slated for construction near Helena. The development calls for construction of 325 residences on 260 acres of land located north of the Montana state capital. Residents near the Montana development filed a lawsuit that resulted in Aspen Trails Ranch’s plat approval being voided. In 2011, the property entered into foreclosure, according to the Helena Independent Record. According to the Record, there were concerns about information provided in the environmental assessment about impacts to the flood plain and water quality. Those news reports identify Bowen as a Coupeville resident. As of press time, Bowen did not respond to phone calls for comment from The Whidbey Examiner. Bowen’s campaign manager, Mary Jane Olson, also didn’t return phone calls seeking comment. The Washington State Department of Financial Institutions reportedly found that Bowen, along with Aspen Trails, failed to disclose a reasonable expected annualized return on investment and failed to disclose there wasn’t any source to guarantee repayment to investors, ac-
Celebrating survival
Nathan Whalen photo
Longtime Whidbey General Hospital employee Dee Giordan marks 10 years of being cancer free. She was diagnosed with breast cancer as she was preparing to move from Illinois to Whidbey Island.
Move in wake of cancer diagnosis a ‘leap of faith’
By Nathan Whalen Staff Reporter
See PORT page 3
As Dee Giordan prepared to move to Whidbey Island 10 years ago, she wasn’t expecting to learn she had breast cancer. The news put Giordan in a touchy situation about where to receive treatment. Would she remain in Illinois, where she said she felt protected with friends around her? Or, would she move to Whidbey Island, where her husband, Gray, was starting a new job? “It was a leap of faith,” Giordan said of her move to Washington. Within four days of her diagnosis, Giordan said she had a lumpectomy completed in Illinois. A short time later, she moved — as did her treatment — to Washington state. Her surgeon did some research and found the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, which coordinated for her six months of chemotherapy and six weeks of radiation therapy. She has praise for the treatment she received by the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. She said the staff was professional with options for chemotherapy. She underwent six weeks of radiation therapy in Sedro Woolley. Being close to family was also a help. Her son, Dylan, lives in the Seattle area and, at the
time, he was raising his young child. “He was a year old and you forgot about all your troubles when (playing) with him,” Giordan recalled. After undergoing her surgery and treatment, Giordan eventually started working at Whidbey General Hospital in its Medical Ambulatory Care Clinic, which treats cancer patients. It was an honor helping patients through the treatment, Giordan said, adding she was surprised that the hospital offers the same treatment that she underwent years ago. “I think they’re surprised we can do anything they can do in Seattle,” Giordan said. Whidbey General Hospital recently unveiled its latest technology, a breast cancer MRI scan system. The scan system, which cost $32,000, can to take 3D images of breasts. The images al-
low physicians to view all angles of the scan. The guided biopsy equipment can be used around the MRI scanner, allowing the area of concern to be targeted with only leaving a nick on the patient’s skin. Giordan is also involved with charitable efforts that fund research for a cancer cure. Giordan, along with her husband and three children, came together last May to participate in the annual Relay for Life on Whidbey. The annual event is held at North Whidbey Middle School. While knocking on wood, Giordan said she’s been cancer-free for 10 years, but still gets annual checkups in case it returns. “It’s always in the back of your head,” Giordan said. — Staff reporter Sara Hansen contributed to this article.